Tuesday, March 5, 2024 | (2024)

LATuntimed (Jenni)

NYT3:36 (Amy)

WSJ4:40 (Jim)

Matt Jones’s Jonesin’ Crossword, “They’ve Got Chemistry” — multiple times, even. – Erin’s write-up

Hello lovelies! This week’s Jonesin’ theme involves the numerical prefixes used in chemical nomenclature. The circled letters spell out the prefixes for two to six in order:

• 17a. [Pre-internet library feature]CARD INDEX
• 24a. [“Dang straight”]YOU GOT THAT RIGHT
• 40a. [Tutor’s task]PRIVATE TRAINING
• 52a. [Browser issue that might slow your computer down]TOO MANY OPEN TABS
• 63a. [Tests of numerical aptitude] MATH EXAMS

Other things:

• 1a. [Begs for kitty kibble]MEOWS. Usually on one’s chest, first thing in the morning, before one is ready to get out of bed for the day.
• 70a. [Former capital of Nigeria]LAGOS. Abuja became the capital in 1991 after it was planned and built in the 1980s.
• 18d. [“Man’s ___” (viral 2018 song)]NOT HOT. British comedian Michael Dapaah created and performed the rap as his character Big Shaq, who spends his time in Miami in a heavy coat.

Until next week!

Adam Vincent’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “Tight Spaces”—Jim’s review

Theme answers are familiar(ish) metaphorical phrases that describe an intangible social barrier of some sort. The revealer is TRADE BARRIER (51a, [Quota or tariff, e.g., and an alternate description of each starred answer]).

• 19a. [*Figurative obstacle for women in business after the “frozen middle”] GLASS CEILING.
• 32a. [*Figurative obstacle separating stage performers from the audience] FOURTH WALL.
• 39a. [*Figurative obstacle representing a video gamer’s minimum ability to succeed] SKILL FLOOR.

Nice set, although that last one is new to me, despite my interest in gaming. I readily understand the concept though, since I can never beat my kids in certain multiplayer games (looking at Super Smash Bros. in particular).

I’m not sure I buy the revealer though, because I’m taking the word “trade” to mean “business,” and playing video games is not a business for most players. Checking M-W, another definition of “trade” is “an occupation requiring manual or mechanical skill” (i.e. a “craft”). Perhaps it’s this meaning which is most applicable here.

Aside from that sticking point, I looove this grid! Look at all these goodies: BRILLO PAD, HOUSE CALL, ALL NIGHT, BOILER ROOM, SEMI-SOFT, ANTACIDS, SUSHI ROLL, COOLED DOWN, ALACRITY, ART SET, and WISECRACK. That’s nothing short of amazing for a themed puzzle. And the surrounding fill doesn’t suffer either with only a smattering of crosswordese. Lovely job on the fill!

Clues of note:

• 3d. [Doctor’s chance to supervise a resident?]. HOUSE CALL. Clever. See also: 28d. [Lost one’s temper?]. COOLED DOWN.
• 53d. [“Well, really!”]. “I SAY!” This has become a catchphrase in our house as my daughters and I are slowly working our way through the entire series of Poirot episodes. The character of Hastings typically says this a few times each episode.

Good theme and a gorgeous grid. 4.25 stars.

Elizabeth C. Gorski’s Cr♥ssw♥rd Nation puzzle (Week 667), “High Country Favorites”—Ade’s take

Hello there, everyone! Spring weather is officially upon us in many parts of the Northeast, and it’s a welcome sight! Here is hoping that you’re having a good day so far.

Today’s puzzle, like a good photojournalist, follows the rule of thirds. In this case, the four theme answers, which all go down, are multiple-word entries in which the second word also comes “third” in a well-known sequence.

• LOUISE JEFFERSON (3D: [’70s/’80s sitcom character played by Isabel Sanford])
• WACKY WEDNESDAY (8D: [Dr. Seuss book that features a shoe on a wall and a palm tree growing in a toilet])
• CAME DOWN TO EARTH (10D: [Faced reality])
• THE IDES OF MARCH (14D: [2011 political drama film featuring Clooney and Gosling])

Anyone ever been on the Divine Coast and taken in AMALFI at any point (29D: [Italy’s ___ Coast])? If so, lucky you!! Still trying to add to my list of visits to Italy than the one time I made it to Rome years ago. Did make it to Madrid not too long after college for a couple of days, and took in a Real Madrid game at the Santiago Bernabeu, which was just north of the museum mentioned in REINA (62A: [Madrid’s ___ Sofia Museum]). I did walk around Plaza Mayor and go to the National Music Auditorium that’s right near the stadium, so I get some culture in me before leaving. With LeBron James now crossing the 40,000-point mark, definitely time for another shout-out to KAREEM and how great he was, the man who was the NBA’s all-time leading scorer before LeBron surpassed him last year (21A: [Abdul-Jabbar of the Lakers]). Actually, it wasn’t Kareem who did that. It was Roger Murdock! My apologies…

“Sports will make you smarter” moment of the day: KROC (64A: [Ray of McDonald’s]) – After Ray Kroc’s time at McDonald’s, and after he was the driving force behind the expansion and eventual worldwide fame of the company, he saved the San Diego Padres from being relocated to Washington, D.C. when he purchased the team for $12 million in 1974. Kroc owned the team until his death in January 1984, and later that year, the Padres wore a “RAK” patch on their uniforms in honor of him. The 1984 Padres won the NL West, defeated the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series and reached the World Series before losing to the Detroit Tigers.

Thank you so much for the time, everybody!Have a wonderful and safe rest of your day and, as always, keep solving!

Take care!

Ade/AOK

Christina Iverson’s New York Times crossword–Amy’s recap

The theme capper is 54a. [Spring-loaded office device … or a collective hint to 16-, 26-, 34- and 41-Across], THREE-HOLE PUNCH. 41a is FRUIT DRINK, that’s your punch. The other three themers are holes. LOGICAL FALLACY is a hole in your reasoning. EMPTY SPACE is pretty much a definition of a hole. And then the [Messy living area] called a PIGSTY is a … sh*thole? The closest hole definition I can find in Merriam-Webster is “a wretched or dreary place,” but that’s got naught to do with messiness. Am I the only one hung up on not seeing how a PIGSTY is a non-profane hole? The pigpen sort is an enclosure more than a hole.

Three things:

• 11d. [Chocolate source], CACAO. My husband’s been buying cacao beans and grinding them like coffee beans. Brewing his own mocha, I guess?
• First-person pronouns: I’M UP, partial GO I, ON ME, Spanish YO TE AMO. One would prefer fewer of those.
• 28d. [Comedian Sedaris], AMY. I’m not crazy about her, but I’m absolutely done with her brother David.

Fave fill: BIG MOMENT, DWEEBY.

3.5 stars from me.

Patti Varol’s Los Angeles Times crossword — Jenni’s write-up

I usually really like Patti’s puzzles. This one didn’t thrill me. The theme seems to be “phrase starts with the same letter and is followed by a different vowel each time” and the vowels are in order A, E, I, O, U going down the grid. I know it’s Tuesday….still not the most interesting. The fill is smooth. And I know I’m not the target demo for Tuesday puzzles.

The theme answers:

• 17a [Oscar-nominated writer of “Fried Green Tomatoes”] isFANNIE FLAGG.
• 24a [Herbal brew with a licorice flavor] isFENNEL TEA.
• 37a [Physical therapy that targets hand pain] isFINGER EXERCISES. The clue is perfectly fine. I associate this more with music than PT.
• 51a [Container with melted cheese] is aFONDUE POT. Also possibly with hot oil or broth to cook thinly sliced meats or vegetables. Or maybe chocolate. It’s not just cheese!
• 62a [Button needed in some macros] is theFUNCTION KEY.

Nothing wrong with that. Nothing particularly entertaining about it, either. If I’ve missed something and I’m being unfair, let me know!

A few other things:

• I feel like I’ve seen some version ofUH, NO in a lot of puzzles lately. Just me?
• 15a [“Act your age!”] isGROW UP. I can hear that in my mother’s voice.
• We’re thinking of going to Acadia National Park inMAINE this summer or next. Open to travel tips.
• I sneeze just at the sight of AXE body spray in the grid. Ugh.
• 49d [Cute name for a black-and-white pet] is a lovely clue for our old friendOREO.

What I didn’t know before I did this puzzle: that JuliaGARNER won an Emma for “Ozark.” That may have something to do with the fact that I’ve never watched “Ozark” and never heard of the actor. No relation to James or Jennifer.

Brooke Husic’s New Yorker crossword — pannonica’s write-up

Quite a bunch of stuff I didn’t know, and maybe a couple of spots where they crossed and made completion a quasi- guessing game. But since I was able to finish it without tears, I guess it’s fair.

• 1a [Berlin club that’s been called the world capital of techno] BERGHAIN. An unknown right out of the gate. I knew that techno was big in Germany, but no way I was going to be able to name the venue.
• 9a [Supermodel Adut] AKECH. Unknown to me. The crossing with 13d [Yoga-teacher-certification units: Abbr.] HRS was among my final fills.
• 16a [Cost associated with classifying menstrual products as nonessential luxury items] TAMPON TAX. Seriously, that’s criminal.
• 17a [Hungarian mathematician known for collaborating] ERDŐS. Hence the Erdős number.
• 19a [Powdered cereal product than can be added to smoothies] OAT GRASS. Between this and yoga teachers, there’s a definite stereotype happening here. Oh look, 27a [Spa booking that includes multiple services] PACKAGE. (There are still others I could add.)
• 23a [Strange little object] CURIO.
• 50a [Group that might debate “Us” vs. “Them!”] FILM CLUB. Both are in the horror genre. The exclamation mark helped out a lot.
• 53a [Believer in the concept of livity] RASTA.
• 58a [Shares weed with] SMOKES OUT. Not a term I knew.
• 63a [Description of fae/faer/faers, but not they/them/theirs] NOUN SELF. Or is it NOUNSELF?NOUNS ELF? ELF NOUNS? Rudderless here … <checks> Okay, it’s NOUNSELF.
• 2d [Name that anagrams to a 50-down’s mom] ERMA. 50d [Little pony] FOAL(mare). Normally I don’t care for such step-removed cross references, but here it helps with the tough 1-across entry.
• 20d [Sicilian shaved-ice desserts] GRANITAS. Obviously I knew they were Italian, but was unaware that they are specifically Sicilian in origin.
• 30d [Fish prized by Maori] EELS. Did not know this. It’s the New Zealand longfin eel, Anguilla dieffenbachii.
• 33d [Jewel-case inserts] CDS. Jewel cases were a big mistake. Wasteful, heavy, fragile. I’ve transferred all my jewel case CDs to individual clear sleeves that save so much space and weight.
• 46d [“You’ve got that right!”] SURE IS. Was unsure what the two-letter conclusion to this entry would be. Auditionedam anddo before IS. Made 63-across that much tougher.
• 55d [Controversial football surface] TURF. Huh? I thought that was the ideal?
• 59d [Role for Kingsley, Ncuti, Ryan, or Simu] KEN. All in the same film,Barbie.

Jake Halperin’s USA Today Crossword, “Texting ppl” — Sophia’s recap

Editor: Amanda Rafkin
Theme: Each theme answer contains the string “ppl”

• 17a [Pout-enhancing product] – LIP PLUMPER
• 37a [Deep dish for eating minestrone, maybe] – SOUP PLATE
• 60a [“Just in case” strategy] – BACK UP PLAN

A simple theme but a well executed one. I like that all the answers Jake chose spread the “ppl” across multiple words, as opposed to just being, like, “apple”. BACK UP PLAN is my favorite answer, but I’m happy to learn the technical name for a SOUP PLATE – I’ve always just call them “you know, those plate-bowls”.

Fill highlights: BUSHBABY, SO SUE ME, DEMO TAPES

Clue highlights: [End of a Berkeley or Berklee address] for EDU, [“Hair Love” won one] for OSCAR – who else is excited for the awards this weekend?

New to me: [“Pretty Baby” author Belcher] for CHRIS, [Chocolate syrup brand] for BOSCO, [“3 Boys” singer Apollo] for OMAR.

Universal Crossword Review by Matt F

Title: Doctored Figures
Constructor: Drew Schmenner
Editor: David Steinberg

Theme Synopsis:

Hey, it’s another “hidden anagram” puzzle! Unlike last week, though, we aren’t scrambling the same substring in each theme answer. Instead, each scrambled set is a type of shape. Our revealer tells us as much:

• 61A – [Takes a different form, or a hint to this puzzle’s scrambled 4-, 5-, 9-, and 3-sided figures] = SHAPE SHIFTS

Here are the theme answers:

• 17A – [Large type of a small crustacean] = J(UMBO SHR)IMP(rhombus)
• 23A – [Major headline material] = FR(ONT PAGE N)EWS (pentagon)
• 38A – [Unwelcome one] = PERS(ONA NON G)RATA (nonagon)
• 51A – [Being authentic] =KEEPI(NG IT REAL) (triangle)

Overall Impressions:

Not only do we have circles on the scrambled substrings, but the revealer contains such a generous hint that you barely have to think about what shape is contained in each answer (except maybe “rhombus” since there a few other 4-sided shapes to consider). I found this to be a little too much hand-holding for my taste, but your mileage may vary. Fortunately, I did not read the second half of the revealer while solving so I had the luxury of looking back and figuring out the shapes all on my own. The 4-sided umboshr, 5-sided ontpagen, 9-sided onanong, and 3-sided ngitreal were staring right at me plain as day!

PRANK CALL and HAIRSPRAY make nice use of the bonus slots today. OLEG was a tough name but received an easy clue. I did not recognize LINDA Ronstadt, though apparently Salena Gomez is slated to play her in an upcoming biopic.

Thanks for the puzzle, Drew!